For Immediate Release

ALAMEDA POWER & TELECOM
"WAY AHEAD" OF STATE GOAL
FOR "GREEN POWER"

ALAMEDA, Calif., June 6, 2002 - At a meeting of environmental-business leaders in Palo Alto on May 23, California Governor Gray Davis said the "" He identified that goal as being "...the most ambitious renewable commitment in the nation."

Commenting on the governor's remarks, Sebastian Baldassarre, president of Alameda's Public Utilities Board, said, "We support the government's drive to increase the use of what is being called green power. In fact, we're way ahead of the state in meeting that goal. Currently, 80 percent of Alameda's power comes from renewable resources."

Alameda Power & Telecom General Manager Junona Jonas explains, "We've set very high environmental standards for our sources of power. We rely heavily on geothermal and hydroelectric resources to meet our customer's power needs."

"Maintaining a high level of clean power is an ongoing challenge," Jonas says. "Last year consumers across the state saw power disruptions. To avoid blackouts in Alameda, we acquired four emergency generators. We now are in the process of converting these generators to run on bio-diesel fuels."

Another example is Alameda Power & Telecom's planning for future energy sources to meet the community's electric-power needs. The city is exploring a number of generating options, including the use of new technology that converts municipal waste into power with minimal environmental impact.

The utility is also promoting the use of solar energy as an alternative power source. It recently sponsored the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at Alameda's Lincoln Middle School. Jonas notes, "This demonstration project is designed to help young people learn about how the sun's energy can be converted to electricity. At the same time, it builds awareness in the community regarding alternative energy sources."

Baldassarre says, "We're committed to using renewable resources to meet our power needs. We'll continue to explore new alternatives as the technology becomes available. Our goal is to one day have all of our power come from renewable sources."